Hello from the Highlands of Scotland!! I can’t even believe the places we’ve seen, people we’ve met, and food we’ve devoured on this cruise of the British Isles! Both Mr. SP and I have strong family roots in Ireland and Scotland, so this trip has felt extra-special.
We still have several days left, but I’ve been getting so many questions about the ports and what I’ve been wearing, so today is an informal Travel Diary of sorts from our first week at sea.
Day 1 / Travel Day
We flew non-stop from DFW to London Heathrow, and of course I chose the comfiest outfit possible! These joggers are basically like pajamas, but passing as pants thanks to some cute back pockets. See what’s in my carry-on bag here. Also, these are just my carry-on bags…we each checked a larger suitcase!
Fit Tip: The joggers are true to size, I’m wearing an XS
Jean Jacket | V-Neck Tank | Jogger Pant | Similar Sneaks | Gold Carry-On Suitcase | Leather Tote | Monogrammed Crossbody Bag
Day 2 / Arrive London
We arrived mid-morning and shuttled to our hotel, Grange Tower Hotel. Princess Cruises arranges all the travel associated with your cruise, so it’s easy, one-stop travel planning!
We took a 1-hour power nap, showered, and headed out for the afternoon. Fortunately, our hotel was just a few blocks from Tower Bridge, so we were able to soak up some London-vibes right away. From there, we grabbed an Uber to nearby Shoreditch neighborhood to explore, and stuff our faces with an amazing early dinner at Dishoom.
Sugarplum Travel Tip: When staying in a city for several days, we always take the time to learn the public transit system. But when we need to maximize time, we rely on Uber. It’s also saves time because it’s tied to your credit card, and not necessary to exchange currency for every city.
Jumpsuit | Leopard Flats | Jean Jacket | Monogrammed Crossbody Bag
This cotton poplin jumpsuit is a great weight with a cute and comfy fit…perfect for a day of exploring!
Fit Tip: Size down one, I’m in a 00.
Jumpsuit | Leopard Flats | Jean Jacket | Monogrammed Crossbody Bag | Feather Earrings
Day 3 / Transfer to the Royal Princess
Again, Princess Cruises arranges the transfer, and we bussed from London to Southampton (about 2.5 hours) to embark on the Royal Princess! It’s similar to airport check-in and security, except your bags are delivered to your cabin, so you don’t have the hassle of getting them on the ship.
We spent the afternoon getting settled (I fully unpack on cruises since you only have to do it once!), and had lunch on the open top deck while waiting for the remaining passengers to arrive.
At 6pm, we sailed out of port and met up with our blogger friends for cocktails and dinner at one of the specialty restaurants on the ship, Sabotinis.
‘Love Conquers All’ Tee (50% off!) | White Jeans | Jean Jacket | Similar Sneaks
Fit Tip: I’m wearing a regular 0
Flutter Dress | Heels | Clutch | Feather Earrings | Cuff
Day 4 / Guernsey
Guernsey is part of the Channel Islands, and this quaint, sleepy village was the perfect start to our trip. We didn’t have an official Princess excursion booked, but rather just wandered the streets and enjoyed the town on foot. This is where our scone obsession started, and we’ve had them daily since!
We were back on the ship late afternoon, where we rested-up for our first Formal Night of the trip. Our group ate in the main Dining Room, and followed it up with dancing at the club.
Leopard Sweater (40% off!) | Jeans | Booties | Bag | Hat
Eden of Sugar & Charm | Ashley of Sugar & Cloth | Christina of New Darlings
Fit Tip: I sized up in the leopard sweater and am wearing a small.
Leopard Sweater (40% off!) | Jeans | Booties | Hat | Military Jacket | Bag | Travel Camera | Camera Strap
Fit Tip: I’m wearing a regular 0 jumpsuit (but had it hemmed). I’d recommend sizing up if in-between sizes though.
Jumpsuit | Heels | Leopard Clutch | Earrings
Day 5 / Cobh & Kinsale, Ireland
It was a gray, drizzly day when we arrived in Ireland, but that didn’t keep us from venturing out to explore the small, port-side town of Cobh. I loved the colorful houses and views to the sea.
After lunch, we boarded a bus for the 45-minute drive to Kinsale…a small waterfront village where every little shop and pub was a bright, cheerful color, and we had our first fish and chips of the trip.
Once back on board the Royal Princess, we met our group for a casual dinner at the Crab Shack. (I forgot to take a pic, but I wore this pullover with jeans and sneakers.)
Sidenote: Princess Cruises is giving away a $5000 Gift Card for the trip of your choice! Just look for this pic on my Instagram for details on how to enter!!
Striped Raincoat | Jeans | Packable Rainboots | Pink Sweater | Chambray Shirt
Striped Raincoat | Jeans | Packable Rainboots | Pink Sweater | Chambray Shirt
Fit Tip: This rain jacket is amazing for staying dry, and surprisingly warm! I size up and am wearing a 2. The boots are lighter weight than traditional rainbows and packable. Size down for half sizes.
Striped Raincoat | Jeans | Packable Rainboots | Pink Sweater | Chambray Shirt | Travel Camera | Camera Strap
Day 6 / Dublin, Ireland
Dublin is definitely a personal highlight of the trip so far. It’s a fairly big city, but easily navigated and the city center is walkable in a few hours. We found surprises around every corner, as well as pubs! They are literally everywhere!
After exploring several hours, we headed back to the ship to enjoy the warm, sunny day on the top deck. Then it was epic dinner night…Chef’s Table!! It starts with a tour of the main galley kitchen and passed appetizers, followed by a gorgeous 5-course dinner in their special room. It really is a treat and always a highlight of our cruise.
Fit Tip: This trench comes in classic colors, but of course I opted for the coral pink. I’m wearing an XS
Y’all….these loafers are seriously the comfiest shoes I brought! They are like walking on clouds of pillowed air. Plus, they’re super cute!
Sweater | Jeans | Loafers | Trench | Crossbody Bag | Hoop Earrings
‘Love First’ Tee (on sale!) | Sandals | Sunglasses
This is our fourth trip with these guys (plus a few more not pictured). They are all like family, and it is a joy to travel and experience the world with them! (They’re all tagged in my Instagram!)
This shirtdress was perfect for Chef’s Table…lots of room for eating!! Plus, it packs like a dream, so I never travel without it.
Fit Tip: I’m wearing an XS
Shirtdress | Booties | Earrings | Clutch | Cuff
Day 7 / Belfast & Northern Ireland Coastline
We decided to get out of the city and explore the coast of Northern Ireland, so we headed to the Titanic Hotel where they helped us book a driver for the day. Since there were six of us, it was only $50/person…well worth the opportunity to explore on our own and stop anywhere along the way.
Plus, our driver Garry as the kindest man and showed us so much more than we’d planned! This was a late night in port, so we ended our day with pizza and game night on the top deck of the ship.
Striped Rainjacket | Jeans | Slip-On Quilted Sneakers
Striped Top | Jeans | Hat | Sneakers | Socks
Striped Rainjacket | Striped Top | Jeans | Sneakers | Socks
Okay, that wraps up Week 1…stay tuned for the rest of the trip next week, including stops in Glasgow, Orkney, Edinburgh and more. And don’t worry, I’ll still share full posts on the main ports (these are just iPhone snaps), along with some fully-styled posts on formal nights, how we spend days at sea, etc.
Anything else in particular you’d like to see or know in regards to this trip of the British Isles, or cruising in general? And don’t forget to head to my Instagram post to enter the $5000 Travel Giveaway! Happy almost weekend, lovebugs!
You lucky ducky, what a treat the British Isles has been for you! You’ve got me sold on your loafers too now. They do look super comfy 🙂
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com
What a fabulous trip! My husband and I are from Houston but living in England for a few years for his job. We haven’t made it to Ireland yet, but these pictures are inspiring me! I had to laugh when I noticed spellcheck changed rain boots👢 to rainbows 🌈 . I recognized the black bean daal at Dishoon that I am busy trying to recreate as it is SO GOOOOD! 😋 I can’t wait to see your next round of pictures. Princess Cruises are awesome!
You’re cute. And I’m thrilled you’re having a wonderful time. This recap was phenomenal. Now come home.
This HAS to be my next trip!! I already told Andrew. Hahahaha!
It all looks beautiful and is very inspiring to travel more. My husband has Irish heritage!
I would like to know how you managed to pack SO many shoes in your luggage. I stopped counting at eight or nine! LOL
Haha, I was counting the shoes too and stopped at eight.
I loved this post! I used to live in the UK, so I got all the warm happy feelings seeing your photos! Love all of your bright and cheerful outfits too – so classic! I’m curious how you became a partner with Princess? Hope you have a wonderful rest of your trip!
Luv all this/these! Thank you so much!
can you share a link to the specific cruise you did? i am soooo inspired.
hey girl- love the pics! so cool!
First of all, your style is always my fave! You look amazing. This post brought tears to my eyes. My grandparents are from the Orkneys. I had the opportunity to travel there with my parents in my 20’s. My dad passed away last year and visiting North Ronaldsay and Birsay where his parents lived are some of my best memories. I long to go back with my husband and children and climb the lighthouse in North Ronaldsay and sign the book that my father and grandfather and myself have all signed. Please share the details of the cruise, I didn’t know you could reach the Orkneys this way. The way we got there was SO complicated!!
Can you share more about the striped rain jacket? My family is traveling to
Ireland next summer. What is the feel of the outside of the jacket? I’m looking for a waterproof jacket that is also warm – but not too warm. What are your thoughts?! Thank you!!!!!
You look adorable in all of these photos! Such charming scenery too. You are the best tour guide 🌎
Enjoyed all your outfits, the amazing scenery, and all the details of your trip (so far), but for some reason, I zeroed in on Mr. SP’s cross body bag. Where did he get it? My husband and I are planning a trip next month and this would be perfect!
P.S. Glad you had a wonderful trip!
The leopard sweater looks so cozy on you so I just had to order it. Loving your travel pictures.
LOVE the pics. Keep them coming! So glad you guys are having such a great time.
Love all of this!! So inspiring and amazing and love your style – I need to do this trip especially just did my ancestry and found out that I am have Irish/Scottish – always thought I was Italian oops lol can’t wait to see more!!
Looks fantastic. Scotland and Ireland are a big destination on my bucket list. I’ve wanted to visit there with my mom since I was a little girl and my spouse now is a big fan of Braveheart so now I have to go with both of them together (but they get along so that’ll be fine). I’ve wanted to do a cruise for a long time now (my mom did a number of them in both Europe and South America and says I would go insane for all the food). However it’s been a concern of me to find one that is “age appropriate”. I’m 32 and the spouse is 40. We don’t want to end up on either a senior’s tour or a young party tour. And we would love to do one without the kids so preferably, a cruise sans or very limited children. This is probably a lot to ask I guess.
Hey Cassie! Did you buy an extra lens for the Sony A6000 or was the 16-50 that it comes with sufficient for your travel shots? Thanks!
I just use the lens that came with it! I’m sure a new one would kick things up a notch, but I keep it simple. I’m a little embarrassed to admit I shoot in Auto with that camera 99% of the time, too!! It’s just so smart!
That’s exactly what I wanted to hear… who has time to mess with manual when you’re sightseeing? 😉 Thanks Cassie!